At 03.25 hours on 14 Dec 1942 the unescorted and neutral Etna (Master Oscar Ullfors) was stopped by U-217 at night in bad visibility and the crew was ordered to abandon ship within 30 minutes after it was discovered that the vessel was carrying contraband. The master protested the order, but to no avail. The crew then abandoned ship in two lifeboats which proved to be difficult due to heavy swell. At 04.51 hours, the U-boat fired a stern torpedo at the stopped vessel that hit between engine room and #3 hold and caused her to sink by the stern with a list to port after 8 minutes. The explosion occurred on the other side of the ship when the master was just leaving her as last man, throwing him from the ladder into the lifeboat. Both boats set sail towards Barbados and were towed into Port Castries by a US Army launch after arriving off St. Lucia on 22 December. One day earlier, the survivors had been spotted by the British steam merchant Colister about 28 miles from St. Lucia, but they refused to be taken aboard.